


Escalation

by Tiikeria



Series: Care for Me? [9]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Gen, Seizures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-12
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-19 02:46:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1452589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiikeria/pseuds/Tiikeria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They should have known better than to trust him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the one I have been building up to, and I still don't feel like I'm ready to tackle this, but, oh well. Hopefully, my research has been correct and I describe this accurately, because I do not wanna let you guys down with this one. Anyway, enjoy Escalation.

It was a month following RTX and the whole fiasco of Gavin having a seizure had pretty much been forgotten, whether it was because the seizures were almost routine by this point, much to the Rooster Teeth staff's worry, or because the fans had found something else to focus on, they didn't know. All they knew was Gavin's spells were more frequent than ever and the Brit was absolutely not going to go to the doctor about it, despite Geoff's threats to his remaining health. He was fine, he told them, he was taking his meds like he should; he was just going through a rough spell. He'd ignore anyone who tried to remind him that this "rough patch" had been happening since Christmas. He was fine, and he was adamant about it.  
  
They should have known better than to trust him.   
  
A normal afternoon. Complete with screaming and yelling coming from the office of six men who were paid to be bad at video games. Except, not all he yelling was playful. Not today, at least. Tension was palatable in the air as Ryan stared Gavin down, the Gent legitimately angry for one of the first times in their presence. And it was terrifying.   
  
"You fucking broke it, Gavin!"  
  
"I said I was sorry, Ryan! I didn't mean to step on the hard drive, it just happened!"  
  
"If you weren't being such a fucking idiot and jumping around here like a child, even though I told you not to, it wouldn't have happened at all!"  
  
"Ryan. Calm the fuck down, it's not like he meant to step on it. Anyone could have done that; hell, Ray almost did when he walked in," Geoff's voice held no room for argument from the younger man, a stern, blue-eyed gaze leveled at him. Ryan flopped back on the couch, clenching his teeth, obviously still seething, but not willing to cross the normally docile Geoff Ramsey. Quietly, he started to pick up the pieces of the broken device, hoping he could maybe get it to work, so he may be able to save his footage; Kdin and Lindsay would kill him if he didn't have fucking footage again. The repeated failures only served to make him even more frustrated, and Gavin's kicked puppy look was not helping the situation.  
  
"I'm really sorry, Ryan...," his voice was so quiet, so unlike him, not that Ryan could give a damn right then. Part of him felt guilty for yelling at the man like he had, but most of him was still in petulant, angry child mode.  
  
"Just...don't. Not right now."  
  
"Leave him alone, Gavin. You two can kiss and make up later," he knew Geoff was just trying to inject some humor into the situation, but he definitly was not in the mood for it. Gavin's soft 'okay' didn't even sway his emotions. He'd rather just stew for a few hours, and maybe make Gavin work for his forgiveness, though the Brit knew his greatest weakness: cookies. Only a few cookies and Ryan would be on good terms again. It was childish, but it was almost like their joke; anytime Gavin would use the agreed upon code of calling Ryan in the office, he would bring the man a cookie. Often times, though, Gavin would later hide cookies in Ryan's desk, much to his amusement.  
  
Right now, though, his mind was far away from cookies. It was on the damn hard drive and how it wasn't working. His buzzing phone wasn't helping either; trying to ignore it was a feat in and of itself. It wasn't long before it clicked over to voicemail and stopped buzzing; there was something bothering him, in the back of his mind. Something was telling him to check his phone.  
  
He didn't get a chance until later.  
  
"Gavin?" Michael's startled and slightly panicked voice broke the silence in the room and all heads turned; a loud cry from the stiffened man made it all that much worse. Ryan’s stomach dropped when he pieced together what was happening; Gavin was having a seizure, but not his normal kind. _Clonic-Tonic._ His brain supplied numbly, _Once known as Grand Mal._  
  
They were up in an instant, Ryan shoving his stuff off the couch, Ray running to get Burnie at Geoff's instruction. Michael was very lightly trying to keep Gavin from falling out of the chair. Ryan took a look at his watch. _Five minutes. Five minutes is all you have before we're gonna need back up, Gavin. Please come back before then._  
  
Jack had Gavin in his arms within moments, resting him on his side on the couch, each of them following a set emergency plan they had never hoped to ever have to use. Michael’s hoodie was taken, used as a pillow for the seizing man’s head as they stood helplessly, Ryan’s eyes still counting the seconds on his watch, his heart dropping with every passing moment. Burnie and Ray joined them within moments, both looking just as terrified and lost as the rest of them. There was nothing short of making sure he didn’t hurt himself that they were able to do, as Gavin’s eyes closed, his body stretching and convulsing on the couch. A different kind of tension had filled the room, one full of fear instead of anger. The longer the seizure lasted, the worse the odds were of the Brit being a-okay afterwards; time simultaneously sped up and slowed down, but Ryan continued to count the minutes, the seconds, that Gavin stayed on the couch, his muscles and mind no longer under his complete control.   
  
 _Gavin, please..._  
  
He didn't know if he had said it out loud, or if it was only in his own mind; it didn't matter, either way it wouldn't have helped anyone, even himself. Geoff's hands were shaking as he reached out, running his hand lightly across Gavin's twitching arm, the action designed to comfort, though whom it was comforting, Ryan couldn't tell. Numbly, he watched the numbers change, marking five minutes, marking the limit. Gavin wasn't back. Gavin didn't even seem close to back.  
  
"Five."  
  
Jack was the first with his phone out, calling for paramedics, his eyes never leaving Gavin as he tried to describe what was happening to the young woman on the other line. Burnie left the room for only a moment, telling Kara to keep an eye out for the red lights they were anticipating. Ryan could hear Michael humming, Ray softly speaking to the Lad in front of him, Geoff having fallen too his knees, hand still smoothing over the tanned arm; never had Ryan ever seen his boss so close to crying in his life. He never expected to see it, either; it was surreal, the emotions swirling in the room.  
  
Paramedics arrived in what seemed like seconds, yet an eternity, and the group retreated, allowing the professionals to take control, though it took Geoff a bit longer to agree to move away. They were quickly joined by what seemed like the rest of the company, eyes on their British idiot as he was taken out on a stretcher, the convulsing having slowed, but not stopped. Not like they had hoped.   
  
Silently, they listened to the sirens grow distant and disappear, before Burnie made the quiet offer to drive Geoff to meet the paramedics at the ER; it was an offer Geoff couldn't refuse. He was in no state to drive. But like hell they were going without the rest of the group; no work would be done now. Or ever, until Gavin returned to the office in one piece.   
  
Something caught Ryan's eye moments before they headed out the door, a forgotten object laying upon the carpet: Gavin's phone. His hand was around it before he could process he was even reaching for it, and, glaring back at him from the favorites page, was his own name. He didn't have to look at his own phone to know that the call he had missed had come specifically from this phone. Gavin had tried. And he had failed the Lad. He had failed in the one thing he had swore to do: answer the call.  
  
 _I'm so sorry, Gavin._  


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this was supposed to come out on Wednesday, but it’s been a hell of a week, so you guys get two updates: one today and one tomorrow. Alright, so, originally, this was a scene that wasn’t even going to happen in the story, but so many of you wanted to see what happened when Geoff realized Ryan’s mistake, so…have some Papa Geoff and some Guilty Ryan~ I apologize if it’s not up to my usual standard; I got some pretty sad news last night. Anyway, enough rambling, enjoy~

_Beeping. Breathing. Silence. Repeat. He hasn't moved. Hasn't woken up. He's still. Too still. He needs to be awake. He needs to be moving around. Not laying in a hospital bed._  
  
Ryan was losing it.  
  
And not in his usual “I’m going to murder everyone and put cows in holes” sense. Worry and guilt swirled in his stomach, his mind focused on nothing more than his failure. His failure to answer Gavin’s call. His failure at keeping his promise to keep from triggering Gavin’s seizures. Because, he was sure now, his anger at the man had been the trigger; Gavin’s seizure had been his fault, and, currently, he had no way of apologizing.  
  
Darkness had taken the room as Ryan sat silently in one of the two chairs in the room. Geoff had claimed the other right next to the Brit’s bed. Together, the two watched vigil over the unconscious man; the others had left following the end of visiting hours, and they were only willing to let two of them stay. Seeing as it seemed like neither Ryan nor Geoff were moving anytime soon, the rest of their group left with promises of returning the next morning.  
  
Since then, not a word had been heard in the room, save for the nurses checking in on the Lad. Ryan was almost glad for the silence; it meant Geoff wasn’t going to yell at him, yet.  
  
He knew it wouldn’t last long.  
  
“He called you, didn’t he?” Ryan looked up from his hands, though Geoff didn’t meet his gaze, eyes still watching the British man in front of him, “He called you, and you didn’t answer.”  
  
He paused for a moment, “Yes. He did call me,” another pause, “And I failed him.”  
  
“Yeah, you did,” Geoff’s voice held no anger, just disappointment, which, in Ryan’s eyes, was so much worse, “He trusted you to answer when he needed you. You didn’t.”  
  
“I know., and I fucking hate myself right now,” his head lowered again, telling himself to not show just how disappointed he was in himself, to hide the tears and shame; he wasn’t the one in a hospital bed. Nor the one sitting next to his psudo-son in the hospital bed.  
  
“I’m so sorry, Geoff,” Ryan’s voice had dropped to barely above a whisper, pain lacing his apologetic words; of course, Geoff wasn’t going to take his apology, why would he? Ryan was the reason he was sitting in the hospital.  
  
“I don’t know why you’re apologizing to me. You fucked up with Gavin; you’re going to owe him a shit load of cookies, dude,” quietly, Ryan looked back up, confusion written on his features, Geoff finally meeting his gaze, easily reading the emotions on the normally more stoic man’s face, “You didn’t do anything to me, Ryan. Yes, I’m sitting in a hospital, when I’d rather be at home with this idiot, but I’m not. And I don’t blame you. I mostly blame Gavin. I knew something like this was going to happen; he refused to see a doctor, when I knew he really needed to. Yes, anger is a trigger. But it’s not the only one, Ryan. If it hadn’t been you, it could have been anyone or anything else. Don’t beat yourself up about being angry at him. If you’re going to be upset at yourself about something, make it about not answering his damn phone call.”  
  
All Ryan could do was silently nod, a piece of him thankful Geoff wasn’t angry at him for the outburst that preceded the seizure; though it was stupid now, it hadn’t been then in his mind, “I’m going to owe him cookies for the rest of my life.”  
  
“That’s a good way to start,” a small smile twitched at Geoff’s lips before dropping again, “But, if I ever find out you ignored his call again, I will hunt you down, Haywood.”  
  
“Duly noted, boss." 


	3. Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SO FUCKING LATE I’M SO SORRY. I was putting together a desk. Anyway, here’s the last part to Escalation, enjoy the Freewood feels. Also, a certain someone finally makes his appearance in the story. ENJOY~

_Why does my body feel like lead? I better not be getting bloody sick; no one will fucking let me live it down. Why does my alarm sound weird? It's not beeping like normal. It's slower, or something. Did some mingy little spaff faff about with my alarm? I bet it was Geoff. Maybe he got Millie to do it, so I can't get mad. Bloody asshole for knowing I can't get mad at her; he uses that way too bloody much. Hang on...this isn't my bed, is it? It feels...different...where am I?_  
  
That was the thought that spurred Gavin Free to crack open his heavy eyelids and stare up at an unfamiliar white ceiling in an unfamiliar, slightly uncomfortable, bed covered with unfamiliar white blankets that were more itchy than comforting. There was a weight on his hands, though it was a warm weight, and it wasn't too heavy; it was quite pleasant, really.   
  
He processed this all very slowly, almost as if his brain was in a slo mo mode, the joke not intended. He felt tired, very tired, like his entire being was just drained of energy. But that still didn't answer the question of where he was and why he was there.  
  
"B?"  
  
At the sound of a very familiar voice in a very unfamiliar place, Gavin turned his head, slowly taking in the form of the one and only Dan Gruchy perched on a chair beside the bed, his hand on top of Gavin's. _So that's what that weight is..._  
  
 _"_ B, you awake? You with us?" the voice was so concerned, so worried, and he didn't know why. Why was Dan here, wasn't he supposed to be in England? Or wherever it was that he was deployed this time. Afghanistan, maybe? It was like all these things he should know were all fuzzy and distorted, leaving him feeling lost. But he had at least the sense to answer Dan with a nod of his head, tongue feeling heavy and thick, too much to talk. The sigh of relief and the relaxing of Dan's tense shoulders were like a form of reward for him, though he still didn't understand why they were tense.  
  
"Do you know what happened, B? Where you are?"  
  
A slow shake of his head, but a spark of hope in his eyes; Dan could tell him, right?  
  
"You're in the hospital. You have been for a few days; in a coma. You had a severe Clonic-Tonic seizure in the office and you were brought here by ambulance. They think you may have had a couple more while you were out of it, just not at the scale of the first one," that explained the worried look and the unfamiliar location, "Geoff may bloody kill you, though, B. You finally wake up, after we get him to leave and eat something other than crisps and coffee."  
  
He offered his long time friend a smile, which was lightly returned, his lips still feeling just as heavy as the rest of his body.   
  
"You had everyone worried, B. Your mum nearly went mental when Burnie gave her a ring. She wanted to be here, but, since she didn't have a passport, she asked me to come instead. Geoff's in a bad way, though. He doesn't show it when anyone's around, but you can tell he's upset. And...well...there is someone else who would probably like to have a chat with you, if only he wasn't passed out in the other chair," Dan looked to his other side, where the other weight was, and Gavin forced his head to the opposite direction, his mind taking a moment that a very disheveled looking Ryan Haywood was slumped in the uncomfortable looking plastic chair, his large hand resting on Gavin's, his breathing slow and even as he slept in what looked like the first time since Gavin entered the hospital. Dark bags hung under his closed eyes and he was wearing the same thing he was the day of the seizure. Slowly, things started to return to him. Ryan had been angry at him. Ryan hadn't answered his phone. A pang of sadness pierced his chest. Ryan promised, hadn’t he? Why hadn’t Ryan answered? Was Ryan sick of him? Were they all sick of him and his broken brain? They had to be at this point, right? That’s why no one else was here, except his B.   
  
If that was true, then why was Ryan here? And why had they been forced to send Geoff home?  
  
“I’m going to give Geoff a call, to let him know you’ve finally woken up. I’ll be back, B. Try to wake Ryan while you’re at it, yeah?” he watched as Dan stood, giving him a lopsided smile as he nodded to the slumbering Gent. Gavin could only give him a small nod, his eyes tracking Dan’s movements out of the room. After a moment, he turned his attention back to Ryan, giving the man’s hand a squeeze gently, knowing how light of a sleeper he was thanks to the multiple stories of his insomniac nature. The squeeze didn’t fail him, Ryan sucking in a tired breath, lifting his head groggily, not quite awake just yet. It only took a moment for the blue eyes to focus, comprehension dawning in them as he connected what the squeeze had been and the reason for it. His hand squeezed back, sitting straight, hope spreading over his face, a relieved smile cutting through the tiredness.  
  
“Gavin…”  
  
A small smile was Ryan’s answer, but it was all the Gent needed apparently, before the floodgates opened and the apologies came spewing forth, “I’m so fucking sorry, Gavin. I fucked up. I fucked up big time. And I’m so sorry. I’m sorry for getting so angry with you. I’m sorry for not answering when you needed me. I’m so, so fucking sorry for failing you. For breaking my promise. I’ll be making up for that mistake for the rest of my life. I’m so sorry.”  
  
A squeeze, a smile, he was hoping it would convey everything he needed it to. He wasn’t mad at Ryan; he was slightly hurt, but, as long as he knew they weren’t sick of him, he’d be fine. If they were…well, it wouldn’t end well, would it? His home was here; Burnie had been right. Home was where people loved him.   
  
“I know…I know I probably am not forgiven just yet, but…I brought you something. The nurses might kill me, but it would be worth it,” quietly the man produced a small box, rooting around in it before offering the Brit the prize from the box: a large chocolate chip cookie. Gavin’s eyes lit up reaching out for the treat with a grin splitting his face, relief evident in Ryan’s. Happily, Gavin took a bite out of the cookie, crumbs finding a home in the corner of his lips, not like he cared. Another bite followed before an idea sprang to mind. Without hesitation, the cookie was in two and half was being offered to the silent man in the chair, confused gaze landing on the baked good before he took it, a smile being returned as the two quietly enjoyed the cookie, amends slowly being made.  
  
Amends with Geoff, though, at least on Gavin’s end, wouldn’t come until later, when the wild-eyed Gent would barge in the room, Jack and the remaining Lads on his heels, though a bit calmer.   
  
But, for now, silence was all he needed. And cookies. 


End file.
